Easter Lamb Shanks

Celebrate Orthodox Easter with these succulent, slow cooked Lamb shanks.
Lamb is an essential part of the Easter feast and for most they will have it on their dinner tables this Easter. For Christians, Lamb symbolize's Jesus, the “Lamb of God” who sacrificed himself on the cross.When I bought my slow cooker, I didn’t realize how much I would use it and it’s become a kitchen favorite. It’s a no fuss way to cook and everything I throw in there just tastes extra delicious. This is Easter, I’ll be slow cooking these lamb shanks for my family. Infused in red wine, seasoned with ingredients like onions, garlic, fresh thyme, carrots, and tomatoes, this recipe will literally melt in your mouth. Big hunks of meat slow cooked until it’s so tender, you can pry it off with a fork, then drown it in a gorgeous gravy infused red wine.

INSTRUCTIONS

In a large hot frying pan, add half the oil and brown the lamb shanks all over, then transfer them to the slow cooker. This will take you about 10 mins and you may need to do it in batches.

2

Add the remaining oil to the frying pan and fry the onion gently until it starts to turn translucent, then stir in the tomato purée and flour and cook for a minute.

3

Add the red wine and bring it to a boil, stirring the flour and purée into the wine until you have a smooth sauce around the onion pieces. Tip into the slow cooker. Pour the stock into the same pan and bring it to a boil, then tip into the slow cooker.

4

Add the carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaves, thyme and parsley stalks to the slow cooker and put the lid on.

5

Cook on low for up to eight hours or on high for four hours. Turn the shanks over at some point during the cooking.

6

After 6-8 hours the lamb should be tender and starting to fall off the bone.

7

If the sauce is too thin lift out the lamb and carrots and tip the sauce into a pan, boil it rapidly until it starts to thicken before adding the parsley.

Ingredients

2tbspOlive Oil

2tbspTomato Purée

250mlLight Red Wine (pinot noir)

2tbspFlour (plain)

500mlStock (vegetable / chicken / lamb)

4Lamb Shanks

1Onion (finely chopped)

2Carrots (chopped)

2Celary Stalks (chopped)

6Garlic Cloves (peeled)

Bay Leaves

Thyme

Parsley (optional)

Salt (to taste)

Directions

1

In a large hot frying pan, add half the oil and brown the lamb shanks all over, then transfer them to the slow cooker. This will take you about 10 mins and you may need to do it in batches.

2

Add the remaining oil to the frying pan and fry the onion gently until it starts to turn translucent, then stir in the tomato purée and flour and cook for a minute.

3

Add the red wine and bring it to a boil, stirring the flour and purée into the wine until you have a smooth sauce around the onion pieces. Tip into the slow cooker. Pour the stock into the same pan and bring it to a boil, then tip into the slow cooker.

4

Add the carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaves, thyme and parsley stalks to the slow cooker and put the lid on.

5

Cook on low for up to eight hours or on high for four hours. Turn the shanks over at some point during the cooking.

6

After 6-8 hours the lamb should be tender and starting to fall off the bone.

7

If the sauce is too thin lift out the lamb and carrots and tip the sauce into a pan, boil it rapidly until it starts to thicken before adding the parsley.